in the darkroom of the world
by Anrheithwyr
Summary: Rodolphus Lestrange and Antonius Potter are two men who should have nothing in common, yet, against all odds, they find themselves in an alliance together, sworn to fight the same battle in a war so steeped in blood.


_"Nobody wants to develop my negatives in their darkroom…"_

_- Desiree Dallagiacomo_

…

It was a total gamble, sneaking across the grounds of a Muggle building complex like this, but Rodolphus knew that occasional gambles were the best kinds of gambles there were, especially when they worked out, and he felt pretty confident about this one.

After all, somewhere in one of these flats was a man with a name that carried just as much history as Rodolphus' did, yet they had somehow ended up on different sides of the same war; one a Lestrange, sworn to follow the Dark Lord in a march towards blood purity and the other a Potter, seeking to keep those of lesser status safe and protected.

It would have come as a surprise to anyone to find these two men, a Lestrange and Potter, attempting to work together, but not all stereotypes deserved to be believed, and while Rodolphus believed in blood purity, he also believed that, sometimes, natural talent and skill trumped the family situation into which a person was born.

And wasn't that what they were doing, helping those half-bloods and mudbloods who had the ability to protect themselves, but not the way? Oh, sure, there were plenty of those who were of inferior blood who deserved to die, but then again, there were also some purebloods who probably shouldn't have been around either, yet here they were.

The fact remained, though, that in totally different circumstances, Rodolphus would _never _be risking everything he had just to sneak into a man named Potter's flat; they didn't even come from quite the same social circles.

Rodolphus was the eldest son of _the _main line of Lestrange, and was therefore the heir to all the wealth that came with such a title. He had been groomed for marriage since he was old enough to talk, and had been engaged to Bellatrix Black since he was just twelve years old. Rodolphus had always been obedient and well-behaved, and rarely questioned what he was told.

Antonius was the only son of the _younger _Potter brother, a somewhat reckless man who had known from day one that his chance at inheritance was severely crippled each time his uncle had children, and each time his children had children. Antonius had never seemed to care, though, instead mostly insisting on doing his own thing and living life the way he wanted to.

It was obvious, then, why Rodolphus immediately became attracted to the idea of helping out Antonius, who was carefree and did as he pleased, Apparating up and down the countryside to assist those that he felt most deserved it. Unlike Rodolphus, who had been raised in a pureblood family and still clung to the pureblood ways, Antonius saw the world as people of merit, some more deserving than others.

That wasn't to say that Antonius was the noble man whom Rodolphus followed earnestly and blindly; Antonius Potter had many faults, of course, just as anyone else did. He was lazy and seemed to have little interest in doing things that he did not see his own gain in. he had killed people before, some of whom were they very people Antonius seemed to claim he was _defending_.

He seemed to give life, both his and that of those around him, very little regard, often playing people off of each other, manipulating Rodolphus and the others who worked with Antonius to do as he pleased. He was selfish at times, rude and callous, and certainly didn't seem to believe in showering regularly, or in shaving, instead choosing to sport a spotty, uneven beard.

And just because Rodolphus was the son of a Lestrange did not make him an _entirely _evil man; he had always been kind to his younger brother, raising him to be respectful and honest. Rodolphus was a kindly man to all children he saw, seeing, wisely, that _they _were the future of the Wizarding World, and ought to be treated as such.

Rodolphus also gave to charity and was one of many who had helped to maintain the Hogwarts scholarship fund for those who could not always afford to go. He could sing well and cook with enough skill to, usually, not burn anything, and Rodolphus could almost find some sort of compliment to be found about everyone, even his foes.

But that did not mean that society would not paint Antonius as the hero and Rodolphus as the villain, two men on opposite sides of the same war, because no one would ever give them any consideration that maybe, just maybe, the two were working together to keep themselves alive, and those that they saw as deserving to such a gift of life.

As Rodolphus finally ended up at Antonius' front door, he began to have second thoughts, though, about coming to visit his new friend. In fact, as Rodolphus saw movement behind the door, someone shifting around inside, he wanted to walk away, but couldn't. He had _promised _Antonius that Rodolphus would help on this particular rescue, and Rodolphus didn't break promises.

But he was also not the sort to betray his master and his friends, and to follow Antonius into this particular mission would mean doing just that. He sighed, looking at the plastic numbers that swung in the wind, flimsily stapled to the wall of Antonius' flat, and Rodolphus wondered if what he was doing was right, or if it was even worth it.

If the Dark Lord found out what Rodolphus was doing, it would be at the cost of Rodolphus' life, but if the pureblood male did _not _help Antonius, then someone innocent would probably die instead, tortured unfairly and unjustly.

"I couldn't just…_not _do it," he mumbled to himself, fingers tapping nervously on the plastic numbers, drumming out a tuneless beat that made Rodolphus' head hurt and his fingertips ache. "But if I _do_, something might happen to me or to my family."

Rodolphus remained conflicted even as the door opened, revealing a mischievously grinning Antonius Potter, whose dark hair was hanging limply over his eyes as he tugged Antonius into the flat, slamming the door shut behind them.

"Have you got your wand, then, Rodolphus? And possibly a nice jar of that Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder? That was really handy last time, wasn't it?" Antonius asked, shoving Rodolphus over to the couch, pushing the younger but taller man over as he quickly moved to the kitchen, opening the fridge to emit an awful smell. "I've got a few of those instant-stick stink bombs in here. Cool, huh? You throw 'em, and they can't be removed without exploding and letting loose with a horrible smell. I think one might have gone off in my fridge, though."

"Antonius…" Rodolphus tried to explain his uncertainty, but the slightly older man continued to talk excitedly about what they were going to do and how much it was going to help, and the fact that, together, the two of them would change the world entirely. "Antonius, I don't know…"

It was guilt that wracked him and it was guilt that kept him quiet as Antonius kept chattering on and on about who all would be assisting, determined that his plan to bomb the Ministry and then proceed to take over would work, that soon enough, _Antonius Potter _would be in charge, with Rodolphus Lestrange as his right-hand man, working just beside him.

But, despite Rodolphus' worries, he said nothing, only nodding when Antonius asked if he was ready to out and change the world. Because in the darkroom of the world, his negatives went undeveloped, untouched, and unwanted by all except Antonius.

And to that man, Rodolphus would give his all, no matter what it meant and no matter what the cost.


End file.
